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Gorgeous, mesmerizing fantasy that doesn't stick the landing
This is an incredibly creative, innovative and ambitious drama that ultimately falls short but is worth watching anyway. The drama is based on the mythology of the Amis people, who are the indigenous people of Taiwan. Each episode opens with a beautiful animation illustrating an Amis folktale narrated in their native language and the language is also used in dialogues by the gods.
Some of my favorite things about this drama:
> The narrative structure: The show explores memory, loss, grief and time. It makes extensive use of flashbacks, which is something I normally hate. But in this case the flashbacks were the story, like thematically and in terms of what we learn at the end, the entire thing is rooted in the fluidity of time and how what we knows shifts and changes as we move back and forth through the timeline. Sometimes it felt overwhelming and ultimately didn't quite work once I got to the end but I respect that the writing team went for it, it is not easy to create a narrative like this. I love that they Went For It.
> The animations: Absolutely gorgeous, kudos to the artist and also to the writers for conceiving this way to address the mythology of the story. Every single animation tells you something extremely important to the story, including the ending which was telegraphed very early on but of course we only realize that in retrospect. If you're finished watching, read this thread that documents the narration and art in every opening: https://twitter.com/Hoyaanae/status/1455182655524245514
> The cinematography: Absolutely stunning, just on the level of pure beauty this drama delivers.
> The OST: One of the best I've ever heard, it's been on repeat in the car and I've never listened to Mando music before. And it turns out it telegraphs the entire plot and ending of the story only you won't realize it until you're done.
> The acting: Everyone was great but special shoutout to Alice Ko as Toem, the goddess turned evil. Her performance was scary, subtle, nuanced and ultimately heartbreaking. Fu Meng Bo was also perfect as Orad, the god in love with a human. You've never seen someone pine so beautifully.
What I didn't like:
> The ending. It is a gigantic shock and not in a good way because it takes a lot of drama's intricate plot and flushes it down the drain. I was literally screaming at the screen when I realized how it was going to end. Having said that, it was moving to see Orad's joy at the end and how all of the kawas and sikawasay end up so that somewhat made up for the mindf*ck of an ending.
> The main ship: I didn't hate them together but they didn't have the intense chemistry that I felt was needed to sell me on their epic romance. The ending would've been more palatable if the chemistry had been better.
> The ecological angle: this turned out to be a plot device that was abandoned pretty early on which was a missed opportunity.
Despite the ending I haven't been able to stop thinking about this drama. It's truly mesmerizing, like a beautiful dream that you immerse yourself into and allow to take over your mind. Go in with zero expectations about where the narrative will land and you will be in for a drama watch like no other.
Some of my favorite things about this drama:
> The narrative structure: The show explores memory, loss, grief and time. It makes extensive use of flashbacks, which is something I normally hate. But in this case the flashbacks were the story, like thematically and in terms of what we learn at the end, the entire thing is rooted in the fluidity of time and how what we knows shifts and changes as we move back and forth through the timeline. Sometimes it felt overwhelming and ultimately didn't quite work once I got to the end but I respect that the writing team went for it, it is not easy to create a narrative like this. I love that they Went For It.
> The animations: Absolutely gorgeous, kudos to the artist and also to the writers for conceiving this way to address the mythology of the story. Every single animation tells you something extremely important to the story, including the ending which was telegraphed very early on but of course we only realize that in retrospect. If you're finished watching, read this thread that documents the narration and art in every opening: https://twitter.com/Hoyaanae/status/1455182655524245514
> The cinematography: Absolutely stunning, just on the level of pure beauty this drama delivers.
> The OST: One of the best I've ever heard, it's been on repeat in the car and I've never listened to Mando music before. And it turns out it telegraphs the entire plot and ending of the story only you won't realize it until you're done.
> The acting: Everyone was great but special shoutout to Alice Ko as Toem, the goddess turned evil. Her performance was scary, subtle, nuanced and ultimately heartbreaking. Fu Meng Bo was also perfect as Orad, the god in love with a human. You've never seen someone pine so beautifully.
What I didn't like:
> The ending. It is a gigantic shock and not in a good way because it takes a lot of drama's intricate plot and flushes it down the drain. I was literally screaming at the screen when I realized how it was going to end. Having said that, it was moving to see Orad's joy at the end and how all of the kawas and sikawasay end up so that somewhat made up for the mindf*ck of an ending.
> The main ship: I didn't hate them together but they didn't have the intense chemistry that I felt was needed to sell me on their epic romance. The ending would've been more palatable if the chemistry had been better.
> The ecological angle: this turned out to be a plot device that was abandoned pretty early on which was a missed opportunity.
Despite the ending I haven't been able to stop thinking about this drama. It's truly mesmerizing, like a beautiful dream that you immerse yourself into and allow to take over your mind. Go in with zero expectations about where the narrative will land and you will be in for a drama watch like no other.
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